The Economics of Animal Health: A 25-Year Bibliometric Analysis

Simple Summary Animal diseases not only cause suffering among animals but also very often result in huge economic problems for farmers and society. They can reduce productivity, restrict trade, and impose extra costs on governments and consumers. Understanding these economic outcomes is crucial for creating effective policies and enhancing global animal health. In this paper, we have examined the evolution of research in the economics of animal health over the last twenty-five years. To accomplish this, we examined over a thousand scientific papers to create a map of the primary contributors, the issues they concentrate on, and the ways researchers cooperate across countries. We found that most studies have focused on wealthy countries, yet countries most burdened by animal diseases may have limited research conducted. Our results suggest that more balanced research, closer international collaboration, and the development of new tools, such as advanced models, can make economic studies of animal health more valuable for decision-makers, producers, and society.Abstract Economic implications of livestock diseases extend far beyond direct treatment costs and affect productivity, trade, and public health. Despite the growing recognition of animal health economics, a comprehensive analysis of its research landscape has been lacking. Therefore, this study employs bibliometric techniques to systematically analyze research on the economics of animal health between 2000 and 2024 using data extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection. A total of 1070 peer-reviewed publications were analyzed to map publication trends, influential authors, research themes, and international collaborations. The results showed that after 2014, the research output increased steadily to a peak in 2018, thus illustrating the increased global interest in economic evaluations of livestock diseases. The USA, UK, and the Netherlands emerged as key contributors, whereas low-income regions showed low research output, indicating an equity gap for animal health economics studies. The most frequently used keywords were "economics", "cost-benefit analysis", "economic impact", "foot-and-mouth disease", and "vaccination", with increasing focus on zoonotic diseases. Coauthorship network analysis demonstrated that the institutions are well connected in Europe and North America, but research from developing countries has remained mostly fragmented. However, notable research gaps were discovered: advanced modelling approaches were underutilized, and the translation of economic research into policy was limited. This work highlights the increasing interdisciplinary nature of animal health economics, while emphasizing the need for broader species coverage, stronger international collaboration, and deeper methodological innovation. These insights provide a foundation for guiding future research priorities and shaping evidence-based policies in animal health economics.